Inclusion Reimagined 2023
Delegates of the Trust, Inclusion & Equity Summit met in Cambridge, Massachusetts on November 1st and 2nd. The gathering of Sanofians, policymakers, clinicians, community leaders, and patients took place at a time when society is grappling with significant disparities in healthcare access, outcomes and, importantly, levels of trust. These inequities are rooted in a complex interplay of economic, political, and social factors.
The Summit’s theme of Inclusion Reimagined presented transformative approaches to creating equity and fostering inclusion in healthcare, avoiding conventional thinking, or playing it safe.
We explored:
- The impact of institutional structures on inclusion and equity in healthcare – both in the past and in the present day.
- The role of emerging technologies in promoting or exacerbating health inequities.
- Strategies for building trust and transparency between healthcare providers, patients, and communities. This included discussing the importance of humility and vulnerability in building trust.
We agree that:
- Institutional structures can have a significant impact on inclusion and equity in healthcare. We will not improve health equity if we fail to tackle the social determinants of health, such as housing and poverty.
- Emerging technologies have the potential to revolutionize healthcare, but they must be developed and rolled out with equity front of mind.
- Building trust between healthcare providers, patients, and communities is essential for achieving health equity.
In response, we affirm that:
- Everyone should have access to the benefits of emerging technologies, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexuality or age.
- We will continue to design and implement institutional structures in a way that promotes access to affordable, quality healthcare for all.
- We will increase our efforts to promote transparency, accountability, and collaboration in our efforts to achieve health equity.
- Involving communities at the heart of decision-making in a meaningful way is integral. This includes community-informed education, community representation on healthcare boards, investing in community health workers, involvement in leading health research and working to ensure trials are inclusive by design and represent society.
- Civic participation matters and we have to use all of our platforms to help policymakers prioritize this agenda.
- Although initiatives and policies already exist that aim to build trust and improve health equity, significantly more needs to be done. A Million Conversations is a key part of our commitment and response to this challenge.
We believe that the time is now to reimagine inclusion in healthcare across the world. By working together, we can create a healthcare system that is truly just and equitable for all.
Signed by,
Delegates of the Trust, Inclusion and Equity Summit: Inclusion Reimagined 2023